The story is set post AC. Other notes are at the end of the story. Have a nice read! (:
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The stark contrast of white against the drab gray walls of the buildings in Edge caught his eye. Cyan eyes scanned the floor for the source of the whiteness. They rested on a lone lily lying on the floor. He walked towards it, picking it up, inspecting it. The flower was still fresh. Someone had dropped it not too long ago. His eyes scanned around for anyone it might belong to. His searching eyes found none. His gaze dropped back to the lily. A lily.. Her favourite flower.
His thoughts drifted back to the night before.
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He sat on the bar stool, listless eyes gazing at the full glass standing in front of him. The bar was empty, as it always was at this time. She was exceptionally quiet today. Maybe his mood was rubbing off on her. The place seemed dimmer than usual.. He let out a soft sigh. Maybe it was just him. Stray strands of red hair fell in front of his eyes as his head dropped lower to gaze at bar table. Yesterday's job had been bad. Not that it hadn't been taken care of well enough, but... argh. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, images invading his mind even as he shoved them away forcefully.
The girl's face streaked with tears. She couldn't have been older than 4 or 5. Her small hands fisted in his sleeve, trying with all her might to pull him down. Her voice, shrieking at him through her anguished sobs. Blood, staining her little dress. Her father, lying in his bed, motionless. He stared down at her. Boss' orders... No one left behind. Her lifeless eyes seemed to trail him even as he left the room, left the house, and left the dead bodies.
A warm hand on his brought him out of his reverie. He stared at it.
"Don't touch me," he croaked. He struggled to find his voice. "Don't touch me," he repeated, louder this time, voice filled with disgust aimed at himself. "Don't touch me." he was pleading now. "My hands are dirty.." his voice was barely above a whisper, but still, she heard him.
She walked around the bar counter and took up the seat next to his. She made him face her and forced him to look up at her. "So are mine, Reno. So is everyone else's." her voice was warm, soothing on his nerves.
"It's different!" his voice was hoarse, rough against his now dry throat.
"What, you spilling innocent blood?" Tifa's voice cut in. "So did we Reno. Just that we thought ours was a good cause." her voice held slight bitterness.
The bitterness in her voice irked him. "What the hell do you know?! You're not the one who dropped a fucking plate on top of people's heads!" his voice was raised now, full of the anger he held towards himself, his self-loathing.
"I know Reno. I know.." her voice was sad now. "Even if it was for a good cause... We still spilt blood... The reactor... The supporting pillar of sector 7... Jesse... Biggs... Wedge..."
Her voice trailed off as her eyes took on a faraway look. His eyes rose to meet hers. He held her gaze for a while before she dropped it, but even then he knew she was looking at her memories, not him. After a long pause, she started to speak again.
"But it doesn't matter if you've been doing it for a longer period of time or done it many more times. It's the same. The same guilt." she shook her head gently. "So, it's not just you..." Burgundy rose up to meet cyan.
"If it's any help... I forgive you. Even if it's just one person's forgiveness.. One person in a sea of people... Perhaps it's worth something too." she smiled gently, taking his hand and opening it. The marks from his fingernails digging into his flesh were deep, and had nearly drawn blood. The softness of her touch registered in his mind as she stood, leaving him to gather his thoughts.
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I forgive you.
He twirled the flower in his fingers.
I forgive you.
He turned on his heel and started towards the bar.
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The lily flower symbolizes purity.. Just a little bit of random information. Maybe it helps in the understanding of the story? Haha. A few assumptions here: basically, Reno has been frequenting Tifa's bar and that they're more or less friends now. (: Hopefully, it was a nice read for you guys! And hopefully they weren't out of character either.. Although Reno probably is… I was sort of working more on a 'under too much stress people will break' kind of thing… And that Reno has accumulated a lot of stress after years as a Turk. Yup. Reviews and what nots will be appreciated, thanks. (: